Rapid City, SD · POP 156,934 · EMP 73,820 · DATA GRADE A

Rapid City, SD

46.8 /100

consensus exposure · range [44.3–50] across 6 methodologies

#255 of 393

more exposed than 35% of US metros

By methodology

IndexExposure
OpenAI task exposure (Eloundou et al. 2024)45.6
Felten language-modeling AIOE (2023)47.2
Microsoft AI applicability (2025)50.0
Anthropic Economic Index observed usage (2026)46.9
Eisfeldt et al. generative-AI exposure (2024)44.3
Consensus (mean)46.8

Table 1. Where indices disagree, that disagreement is information: prediction-style indices (task ratings) and usage-based indices (observed AI conversations) measure different things. Methods §2.

Secondary measures

50.3

payroll-weighted exposure — higher than the headcount number: the exposed jobs are the better-paid ones

20.2%

of workers are in occupations where ≥50% of tasks are LLM-exposed (Eloundou β; threshold-sensitive — note)

93.6%

of area employment matched to scored occupations (grade A)

Scenario: if replacement-level AI arrives in 2030

2027 2035

Figure 1. Modeled displacement under the median preset (diffusion k=0.8, ceiling 0.75, automation share 0.45, friction lag 1.5y, attrition 3%/y). Solid: positions eliminated. The gap between gross and layoffs is natural attrition — speed of diffusion, not depth of exposure, determines layoffs. This is a scenario, not a forecast: adjust every assumption.

Where the losses land — and your assumptions

Positions eliminated by 2035 per occupation group, under the arrival year selected above. Drag any multiplier if you think we're wrong about a group — your model, your numbers. Multipliers scale that group's task exposure (×0 = immune, ×2 = double).

Table 3. Group exposure = employment-weighted mean task exposure (Eloundou β) over the group's local occupations. Bars use the same scenario engine as Figure 1 (median preset).

Most exposed local occupations

OccupationJobsMedian wageExposure [range]
Retail Salespersons 3,090 $33,350
67
Bookkeeping, Accounting, and Auditing Clerks 1,720 $46,810
81.4
Registered Nurses 2,480 $79,380
48.9
Cashiers 1,980 $30,460
54.8
Receptionists and Information Clerks 1,240 $37,990
78.9
Customer Service Representatives 1,010 $38,520
91.1
Secretaries and Administrative Assistants, Except Legal, Medical, and Executive 990 $41,720
89.8
Sales Representatives, Wholesale and Manufacturing, Except Technical and Scientific Products 780 $78,280
88.3
Fast Food and Counter Workers 2,860 $29,440
24
Accountants and Auditors 840 $79,270
79.4

Table 2. Ranked by exposure × local employment. Bands on the 0–100 occupation scale.

Compare Rapid City against any other metro — side by side.